


you jump, i jump

by emmerrr



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Cabeswater Returns, Established Relationship, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-23 04:34:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20236816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmerrr/pseuds/emmerrr
Summary: sentence prompt fill: "Come on, give me one good reason not to jump in the lake.”





	you jump, i jump

“It’s ready.”

Ronan says this to Adam’s legs, the only part of his boyfriend he can currently see as the rest of him is hidden under the useless Hondayota.

Adam doesn’t even come out. “What’s ready.”

Ronan sighs, but it’s more of an anxious thing than an impatient one. “Y’know what, never mind, you’re busy,” he says, and walks back towards the farmhouse.

Something in his tone must have struck a chord with Adam, because just as Ronan reaches the porch, he hears Adam pull himself out from under the car. He stops and turns.

Adam is wiping his hands on a rag, eyes patient but intrigued. “Ronan?” he asks carefully. He looks so good in his coveralls, his hair messy and a grease mark on his cheek. Ronan allows himself a moment of distraction just to look.

Adam tilts his head to the side, quizzical. Then he seems to become aware of the grease on his cheek and frowns, using his shoulder to try and wipe it off.

Ronan rolls his eyes and steps forward. He rips a piece of fabric off the bottom of the tank top he’s wearing, licks it, and delicately wipes Adam’s cheek.

“That was so unnecessary,” Adam says, but he’s still under Ronan’s hands, allowing him to do it. “There’s paper towels and water in the house.”

“So there is,” Ronan says, unconcerned. Job done, he kisses Adam’s cheek, then stands back and takes a breath. “Cabeswater. I finished it.”

Adam’s eyes go wide briefly, before he schools his expression back down to neutrality. Ronan knows the lack of a reaction is for his benefit; Cabeswater 2.0 has been a labour of love and Ronan has spent an inordinate amount of time complaining about it. And then the closer he got to finishing it, the less he brought it up. Adam will have noticed, and obviously doesn’t want him to feel scrutinised.

The thing is though, he needs it to be perfect. But he won’t know if he’s done that until Adam’s been to look. Adam is both the person he most wants to show it to, and also the person who he’s most afraid to take there. 

Adam’s is the only opinion that really matters to him.

“Can I see it?” Adam asks.

Ronan forces bravado into his tone. “Obviously, dummy, why else would I be telling you?”

He doesn’t think Adam’s fooled by this display, but it makes him feel a bit better. A bit more settled.

“Just let me wash up,” Adam says.

In a lot of ways, the new Cabeswater is like the old Cabeswater. It looks the same, mostly. It _feels _similar, as in, it feels like a dream.

Ronan had led Adam to a copse of trees, and Adam had circled them, occasionally pressing his palms to a tree trunk. Now, he’s kneeling on the ground, Ronan off to the side, watching.

Adam’s eyes have been closed for a while now, and he hasn’t said a word. Ronan knows better than to break the silence, but he can’t deny that it’s killing him a little bit.

Finally, Adam’s eyes blink open, and he turns his head, searching for Ronan. He stills when he spots him, and he smiles. There’s something almost reverent in his stare.

Then, Adam gazes upwards and whistles an off-key tune that sounds vaguely familiar, and the out of sight birds take it up, echoing it all around them. The wind blows, leaves circling around them, and then there’s a boom, and another one, Adam turning the forest into their own personal boombox.

It’s reminiscent of the last time Adam did this, which is entirely the point. Throwing out his intention just to make Ronan smile. It works, just as it did before.

Adam gets to his feet and tugs lightly on Ronan’s collar, enough to get him to lean down.

“Dreamer,” he murmurs.

“Magician,” Ronan replies, and kisses him.

They carry on, further into the forest.

They don’t say much; Adam occasionally points out things that feel the same, as well as things that feel different. He asks a few questions, but that’s all.

Mostly Ronan just watches him take it all in. He’s been here many times now; it’s in his head, he knows it like the back of his hand.

But the thing about Cabeswater is that it _changes_.

“Oh,” Ronan says as they reach a stark drop. “That’s new.”

“It wasn’t here before?” Adam asks.

“No. I don’t…I don’t remember putting that there.”

They step up to the edge and peer over. Now that they’re closer, the drop isn’t as far as Ronan thought it was, and it leads to a pool of clear, inviting water.

Adam leans out further and almost stumbles, but Ronan grabs the back of his shirt and yanks him back. “Fucking–_careful, _Parrish.”

Adam doesn’t really seem to have heard him though, his expression curious. “But…you _made _it, right? You must have.”

Subconsciously, Ronan supposes he did; how else would it be here? He shrugs, because a shrug is always a right answer.

“It looks nice and clear. And cool,” Adam says, looking down again. Sweat drips off his brow and Ronan all at once becomes aware of how hot it is. “I’m going in.”

It occurs to him that it’s suddenly so hot because Adam _made _it that hot, because he wants to jump in the water and cool down, because that seems like a fun thing to do. And he’s right, it _would _be; Ronan would normally be the first one in that water.

But all he can think about is Opal falling, and him diving after her, and hitting the water that wasn’t water at all, but acid. And they’d almost drowned, but then Adam had saved them.

“Adam, don’t,” he says, but Adam’s already pulling his shirt off and tossing it aside.

Ronan grabs his arm. “I mean it, don’t go in there.”

“I’m melting, Ronan, give me one good reason not to jump in that lake.”

“Okay, first of all it’s not really a lake, it’s a glorified pond at best. And second of all…I don’t know, I don’t want you to.” 

That pulls Adam up short, and he frowns. “Why not?”

“Because–” Ronan breaks off, exasperated. He doesn’t want to explain, but in the end he doesn’t have to.

“Oh,” Adam says quietly, understanding crossing his face. “Ronan, it won’t be like that.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I _do,” _Adam insists. “That happened when Cabeswater was being attacked by a demon. It was corrupted.”

“So?”

“So this?” Adam gestures around them. “This isn’t corrupted. This is all you. And that water is water and I’m going to jump into it.”

“I don’t…” Ronan starts before trailing off. “Even if it _was _water, I’ve tainted it now just by thinking about it. I don’t trust it.”

“Okay, okay.” Adam cups Ronan’s face in his hands and presses the lightest of kisses to his lips. When he pulls away, Ronan sees nothing but determination and resolve in Adam’s eyes, and he knows that look. “It’s water. Trust _me,” _he says, and takes a running jump.

It’s like with Opal again; Adam hasn’t even hit the surface before Ronan leaps after him. 

The fall isn’t far, and the splash of Adam’s landing comes a split-second before Ronan himself is submerged. He braces himself for the pain, but it doesn’t come. The water is calm, cool and refreshing, and most importantly, _water. _

Ronan kicks up and breaks the surface, taking in a breath of air as he turns his head in search of Adam.

Half a metre away, Adam is treading water, watching Ronan carefully. He’s too far for Ronan’s liking so he closes the difference. He presses his forehead to Adam’s, breathes him in, and kisses him.

“Asshole,” he says, and kisses him again. “You can say ‘I told you so’ now.”

Adam shakes his head. “I’m not going to do that.”

Ronan snorts. “Big of you.” His heart’s still racing. “How did you know that it wouldn’t be…” He doesn’t want to say _acid _out loud. Just in case.

“Because this is the new Cabeswater, and _you_ gave it shape, and I trust that you made it safe, even if you can’t trust that yourself yet.”

He starts to shake his head, about to disagree, that Adam can’t know that for sure, but maybe he _can. _Cabeswater doesn’t exactly have any Commandments, but if it did, number one would be _Keep Adam safe. _Ronan has his priorities sorted.

“Okay smarty-pants, but _still,” _he says, reluctant to give up the fight, “maybe next time throw a rock in there or something rather than throwing your whole self off a cliff.”

Adam smirks. “Okay, first of all that’s not a cliff, it’s a glorified diving board at best. And second of all, you also threw _your_ whole self into the water, so you’re being a bit hypocritical there, Lynch.”

“Yeah, to go after you!”

Adam shrugs. “Still counts.”

Ronan groans and sinks under the water for a second. There’ll be no winning this one.

He pops back up again and Adam is smiling sweetly, like butter wouldn’t melt. “You’re lucky I love you,” Ronan says.

“I know,” Adam says cheerily. “I really, really am.”


End file.
